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smalefowles's review
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Excellent range of stories.
jmyodafriend's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
My favorite stories in this collection were "The Christmas Dance" (which centers on two old WWII veterans) and "The Fish Man Angel" but I found something to appreciate or enjoy in all of the stories. McBride really creates vivid characters, dia ogue, and settings, and they all seem entirely authentic. I'm interested to read more of his work now.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism, Child abuse, Animal death, Racial slurs, Slavery, and War
jenou05's review against another edition
5.0
I loved this creative and well-written book of short stories. The story about the animals in the zoo made me laugh out loud multiple times, but also really made me think long and hard at various moments throughout the story. I love a book that can bring both humor and be extremely thought provoking. James McBride has a talent unlike other authors I’ve read. Really enjoyed this one!
cocoaqueenk's review against another edition
4.0
"‘See, God favors the righteous. He favors us with words!…. Words, boy! Not a pistol or knife or cannon lingering in the whole bunch! Just words, passed from one ear to the next! Oh, yes, I wish I was lettered. Them.. words just lingers in my mind. They floats about me from day to day. Just… words they is. But powerful enough. Righteous, I’d say. Them… words got bone in ’em!….'”
-The Fish Man Angel
Many familiar with the work of National Book Award winning author James McBride, note that this ten-story collection dynamically strikes upon his “obsessions“: race, masculinity, and war. I, however, entered this collection unfamiliar with McBride’s work, though I had heard his name. I picked this book up from the shelf because I was intrigued by the title, and I purchased the book because of the dedication, To Sonny Rollins, who showed me the Big Picture.
So, I began the not knowing what expect. The stories are linked by the themes of race, masculinity, and war. But there is also a common thread on the power of words....
Read full review here
-The Fish Man Angel
Many familiar with the work of National Book Award winning author James McBride, note that this ten-story collection dynamically strikes upon his “obsessions“: race, masculinity, and war. I, however, entered this collection unfamiliar with McBride’s work, though I had heard his name. I picked this book up from the shelf because I was intrigued by the title, and I purchased the book because of the dedication, To Sonny Rollins, who showed me the Big Picture.
So, I began the not knowing what expect. The stories are linked by the themes of race, masculinity, and war. But there is also a common thread on the power of words....
Read full review here
balletbookworm's review against another edition
5.0
I had a galley, but only finished the Five Carat Soul section before it expired. Womp womp.
So I finally caught back up with this wild ride of a story collection. Each story is so unexpected - a few are set during the Civil War period, a few in the 1970s, and the last novella-length piece is so amazingly inventive and set in a zoo (you have got to read it!). I had never read James McBride before (The Good Lord Bird is on Mt TBR I promise!) - his writing style is so wonderful to read. The way he manages to evoke a setting in just a few sentences is fantastic.
So I finally caught back up with this wild ride of a story collection. Each story is so unexpected - a few are set during the Civil War period, a few in the 1970s, and the last novella-length piece is so amazingly inventive and set in a zoo (you have got to read it!). I had never read James McBride before (The Good Lord Bird is on Mt TBR I promise!) - his writing style is so wonderful to read. The way he manages to evoke a setting in just a few sentences is fantastic.
caseyulrich555's review against another edition
4.0
Great stories, easy read, different than what I normally read but appreciated where my mind wandered while reading each! Hard to put down!
jdintr's review against another edition
5.0
When I think of reading James McBride--and this book in particular--the word that comes to my mind is "joy." McBride is a flat-out "joy" to read. His insights tickle the mind; his images brand it.
Five-Carat Soul rightful earned its place among many lists of 2017's best book lists. The stories deal with serious topics in an easy way.
At the center of the collection are five stories about the Five-Carat Soul Bottom Bone Band, a group of teenagers who practice above a Chinese grocery in Uniontown, Pennsylvania. The stories reminded me of John Steinbeck's Tortilla Flat in their evocation of place and characters, who struggle with issues of race, a lack of education, and economic plight. By the end of the stories, Uniontown's south side was vivid in my mind. I felt like I, too, had grown up there, and I enjoyed the experience.
McBride goes into historical fiction with a couple of Lincoln-related stories. "Father Abe" describes the plight of an orphaned mixed-race boy in Petersburg near the end of the war. As a joke, the soldiers of the African-American regiment tell him he's Lincoln's son, but his response humanizes them and convinces one sergeant to give up on the war altogether. "The Fish Man Angel" gives background on Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation, and "The Christmas Dance" is a sweet tale that unveils the experience of an African-American regiment's engagement during a German attack in Italy, Christmas 1944.
I enjoyed this book, and my friends will too. This Five-Carat Soul is a solid, 24-carat read.
Five-Carat Soul rightful earned its place among many lists of 2017's best book lists. The stories deal with serious topics in an easy way.
At the center of the collection are five stories about the Five-Carat Soul Bottom Bone Band, a group of teenagers who practice above a Chinese grocery in Uniontown, Pennsylvania. The stories reminded me of John Steinbeck's Tortilla Flat in their evocation of place and characters, who struggle with issues of race, a lack of education, and economic plight. By the end of the stories, Uniontown's south side was vivid in my mind. I felt like I, too, had grown up there, and I enjoyed the experience.
McBride goes into historical fiction with a couple of Lincoln-related stories. "Father Abe" describes the plight of an orphaned mixed-race boy in Petersburg near the end of the war. As a joke, the soldiers of the African-American regiment tell him he's Lincoln's son, but his response humanizes them and convinces one sergeant to give up on the war altogether. "The Fish Man Angel" gives background on Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation, and "The Christmas Dance" is a sweet tale that unveils the experience of an African-American regiment's engagement during a German attack in Italy, Christmas 1944.
I enjoyed this book, and my friends will too. This Five-Carat Soul is a solid, 24-carat read.
gilmoremk's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed the whole story, right up until the "twist" ending. It just didn't seem to fit with the rest of the story, and it seemed unnecessary. Other than that the characters were great, and seemed very real.